Rashid Bashir’s research group currently is developing micro and nanoscale sensors for early diagnostics of cancer and infectious diseases. He is very active in bioengineering education and was the Principal Investigator of the NIH NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer funded training grant. His research integrates biology and medicine with micro and nanotechnology in two broad areas, how micro/nanotechnology can help solve problems in life sciences (diagnostics and therapeutics), and how life science can help solve problems in micro/nanotechnology (bio-inspired self-assembly). His research projects span from solid state nanopores to 3D biofabrication due to his interest in bionanotechnology, biosensors and bioelectronics, and nanotechnology.
Rashid Bashir received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University and his MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. He is the Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering and is Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering. He is a Professor of Bioengineering and holds affiliate appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Illinois. He has been involved in three startups that have licensed his technologies. He has authored or co-authored over 220 journal papers, over 200 conference papers and conference abstracts, and over 120 invited talks, and has been granted 44 patents. He was an NSF Faculty Early Career Award winner and is a fellow of IEEE, AIMBE, AAAS, BMES, IAMBE, and APS. He also serves as a Professor at Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, NCSA, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and the Materials Research Lab. At the Cancer Center at Illinois, he is a mentor for the TiMe program.